Nut with deformable anchor



Aug. 17, 1954 P. D. BECKER NUT WITH DEFORMABLE ANCHOR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 26, 1949 INVENTOR: Fr-HLIP D. BECKER,

BY ,5j-Ton NBV.

P. D. BECKER 2,686,547 NUT WITH DEFORMABLE ANCHOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. I4

Aug. 17, 1954 Filed Jan. 26, 1949 Patented Aug. 17,Y 1954 NUT WITH DEFORMABLE ANCHOR Philip Dix Becker, Hingham,

United-Carr Fastener Corporation,

Mass., assigner to Cambridge,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 26, 1949, Serial No. 72,956 3 Claims. (Cl. 151-4L74) This invention relates to fastening devices and more particularly to fastening devices of the type adapted to be securely anchored in wood or like material.

It is an object of this invention to provide fastening devices which are simple and economical in construction and which may readily be secured in either hard or soft wood with a minimum of effort and time.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a nut anchor for sheet metal and the like nut members or fastenings which may readily be forced into position by pressure or tapping to securely hold the nut or stud-receiving portion in fixed position in a piece of wood or similar material.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a holding sleeve for a fastening device of the nut anchor type which in its assembled holding position will form a support for the upper walls of the nut portion of the device thus increasing its resistance to movement or dislodgement by side loadings.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved fastening device having a split holding sleeve adapted to be forced into holding position more readily and to hold the anchor nut more securely and positively than prior devices of this type.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a holding sleeve for a T-nut anchor device having weakened portions intermediate its ends, said weakened portions being bulged inwardly over the flange of the nut during assembly to form additional clamping and holding means therefor.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved fastener device formed of light weight material which may readily be secured in soft wood and the like and tightly fastened there- 1n.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan View of the improved fastener device of the present invention applied to hard wood;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing the nut and holding sleeve assembled in the wood prior to forcing the sleeve downwardly into holding position;

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the nut;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the split holding sleeve;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the sleeve shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a sectional View of a modified form of fastening device particularly adapted for use with soft wood and the like, the parts being shown in position prior to forcing the holding sleeve into holding position;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 7 showing the parts in anchored position after the sleeve has been forced downwardly into holding position;

Fig. 9 is a view in end elevation of the nut shown in Figs. 7 and 8;

Fig. l0 is a view in side elevation of the nut shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9;

Fig. l1 is a View in side elevation of the split sleeve shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. l2 is a view in side elevation of the sleeve member shown in Figs. 7 and 8;

Fig. 13 is a view in end elevation of the sleeve member shown in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a section taken on the line lil-lll of l Fig. 8;

Fig. 15 is a sectional View of a third form of fastening device together with setting tools, the parts being shown in position prior to forcing the holding sleeve into holding position;

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 showing the relation of the parts intermediate the position of Fig. l5 and anchored position;

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Figs. l5 and 16 showing the parts in anchored position; and

Fig. 18 is a View in side elevation of the holding sleeve.

The form of fastening device illustrated in Figs.

to 6 is particularly adapted for use with hard Wood and the like and comprises a nut I and holding sleeve 2 securely anchored in an opening 3 of a piece of wood il. As illustrated, the nut l has an upper substantially straight barrel or sleeve section 5 and a lower enlarged base or hanged section t, the two sections being joined by an arcuate camming portion 'l to facilitate and guide the movement of the holding sleeve projections l into holding position. The flanged portion 5 is preferably formed with an octagonal, hexagonal, square or other irregular shape to resist turning movement. The interior of the nut barrel or sleeve is preferably threaded as at 8 to y 26. The openings receive a threaded stud, screw or other element to which the fastening device is to be attached.

The sleeve 2 is formed to snugly engage the straight portion 5 of the nut l and is provided at its lower end with cut-out work-penetrating prongs or portions 9 to form downwardly projecting portions il). These cut-outs S permit the downwardly projecting portions lli to be deflected outwardly by the arcuate portions 'i' when downward pressure is applied to the sleeve and thus to enter the wood to tightly secure the nut in position as shown in Fig. 2. An important feature of the sleeve construction is that it is split as at Il (Fig. 5) to further facilitate the spreading out of the downward projections ill and their entry into the wood.

In assembling the improved locking device of the present invention in operative position in a piece oi wood a hole is drilled or otherwise formed in the wood at the desired location, the nut and sleeve positioned therein as shown in Fig. 3, and the sleeve then pressed or hammered into holding and locking position as shown in 2. The split construction of the sleeve facilitates the spreading out and entry of the projections il into the wood as may be seen from Fig. 1l, which shows how the sleeve is spread or distorted when in holding position to provide a securely positioned and easily assembled locking device. This enables the prongs it and adjoining body por'- tion of the split sleeve 2 to be forced laterally into the wood for a distance substantially greater than the depth of the penetra-ting prongs, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2, tc securely anchor the nut to the workpiece 4. In this form of the device the snug fit of the sleeve within the hole in the wood and around the straight portion of the nut adds rigidity and strength to the whole device and provides support against side loadings.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 to l and l2 to 15 is particularly adapted for use in connection with soft wood and the like. In this modication the nut i2 may be provided with a straight barrel or sleeve portion i3 and a threaded opening It as before but the lower ilange or base portion i5 is considerably wider and is reversely curved as shown by the sectional views in Figs. '7 and 8. This provides a construe tion in which the upper surface of the flange has an inner annular grooved portion i6, an intermediate annular raised portion il and an annular downwardly bevelled outer portion i3. As before, the flanged portion I5 is preferably given an irregular shape such as octagonal, hexagonal, square, and the like to resist turning movement. rIhe wider flange used in this modiV rlcation of the invention gives the added strength, rigidity, and resistance to turning movement required in the case of the softer wood. The flanged portion l5 has one or more projections it on its outer surface which cooperate with openings in the sleeve member 2@ to lock the parts in assembly in final holding position as will be described.

The sleeve mineber 2d is likewise split as at 28a and is provided at its lower end with cut-out portions 2l forming downwardly extending pro-jections 22 pointed at their ends as shown` The projections 22 are bent inwardly as at 23 and then outwardly as at 2% to facilitate entry into the wood upon the application of pressure. `Slightly above the cut-out portions 2i the sleeve 2i) 'n provided with a series oi circumierentially spaced. openings 25 leaving intervening portions of metal 25 tend to weaken the sleeve thereby effecting a more efficient distortion oi its lower pronged end and, at the same time, the openings cooperate with the projections i9 to provide a desirable interlocking of the parts, for a purpose which will be apparent hereinafter.

D1 assembling the device, as most clearly illustrat-ed in Figs. 7 and 8, an opening 3 is drilled or otherwise formed in a piece oi wood l and the nut and sleeve assembled therein as shown in Fig. 7, Pressure is then applied to the sleeve as by a press, hammer blows, etc. to force the sleeve into holding position as shown in Fig. 8. During this operation the outwardly curved portions 24 of the projections 22 strike the outer bevelled surface it of the flange i5 and are deflected outwardly and into the wood. Also, during this operation the portions 26 oi the sleeve 20 between the openings 25 are bent inwardly and over the raised portion of the flange i5 to securely clamp it in position. One or more of the openings 25 will, at the same time, receive a projection I9 of the nut, as shown in Fig. 8, whereby the nut and sleeve are in an interlocked relation which operates to limit eiectively rotation of the nut.

The form of invention shown in Figs. 15-13 is also preferably used with soit wood. The nut member i2 of this modincation may be the same as the one used with my second form of invention as shown in Fig. l0. Thus, the bevelled outer portion i8 operates in the same manner to deflect the sleeve prongs into the wood. It is understood, however, that the projections I8 may be omitted in the modiication of Figs. 15-18 as the sleeve member 2l of this modication does not provide openings for interengagernent with the projections in the manner of the sleeve member 2li described above.

The sleeve member 21 as shown most clearly in Fig. 1S has a band or body 2l@- which is preferably split as at 2B. The lower end of the body 2ln has cut-out portions 29 forming projections 3B which are pointed at their ends. The projections 36 are bent inwardly as at 3l and then outwardly as at 32 to eiiect entrance into the wood when pressure is applied. The upper end of the body Zia has an annular series oi openings 33 which weakens the portions 34 between the openings to permit easy distortion of these portions during the operation by which the sleeve is collapsed into locking, holding position, as will be described.

In assembling the device as illustrated in Figs. 15-1'7, an opening 3 is .drilled in the wood l and the nut member is positioned in the opening. In effecting assemly of the sleeve member 2l, a tool device is preferably provided having a mandrel 36 which has an annular sleeve portion 3l of a diameter slightly greater than the nut barrel so as to surround the barrel. rlhe free end 38 of the sleeve portion rests` upon the outer surface of the nut base i5 when the mandrel is moved downwardly into operating position whereby the nut member is held in fixed supported position during the operation by which the sleeve member 2 is collapsed into holding position. The mandrel 35 is mounted within a deforming tool 39 which is arranged to slide axially with relation to the mandrel. The tool 3S has a concaved end surface 0 for a purpose to be described. The mandrel and deforming tool are contained within a guide sleeve M which rests upon the outer surface of the wood during the attaching operation.

Prior to bringing the tool device down to assemble the sleeve 21 with the nu-t member, the sleeve is positioned adjacent the concaved end surface 40 of the tool 39 which is in withdrawn position and between the mandrel 36 and the guide sleeve 4I During the attaching operation the tool comes down to position the end of the mandrel over the nut barrel and the end 42 of the guide sleeve abuts the outer surface of the wood. The tool 39 then comes down bringing the sleeve 27. When the projections 39 strike the bevelled surface of the ange l5 they are deflected outwardly into embedded engagement with the wood. As do-wnward movement of the tool 39 continues the surface 40 of 4the tool forces the portions 34 of the sleeve downwardly and inwardly into substantial abutting eng-agement with the outer surface of the flange l5 as shown in Fig. 17. Thus, as a result of the construction of .the sleeve member 21 and operation of the tool device the diameter of the upper end of the sleeve member is reduced as the diameter of the lower end increases thereby effecting a relatively free distortion of the sleeve member resulting in an efficient holding action.

Although I have illustrated and described preerred embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby as the scope of my invention is best dened in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A nut assembly for anchorage in a bore of a workpiece of wood and the like comprising a sheet metal nut member having an internally threaded barrel and an outwardly extending base flange at one end of substantially greater transverse dimension than said barrel, the upper surface of said base flange provided with a camming surface spaced radially outward from said barrel, and an anchoring member for securing said nut in the workpiece comprising an open ended cylindrical sleeve of a diameter substantially greater than the nut barrel and being longitudinally split from end to end to provide a non-continuous laterally spreadable body portion, a plurality of circumferentially spaced work-penetrating prongs extending longitudinally from and beyond one end of the sleeve body portion and having outwardly )turned pointed ends to initially bear on the camming surface of the nut base ange, the body of said sleeve having a circumferential weakened area spaced above said pronged end,

said penetrating prongs and adjoining section of the sleeve body portion being laterally spreadable in a direction substantially at right angles to the axis of the sleeve upon application of axial pressure to the opposite end of the sleeve in the direction of said camming portion to cause said prongs and adjoining sleeve body portion to penetrate the work-piece Ito a distance greater than 'the depth of the work-penetrating prongs and the weakened yarea of said sleeve to be displaced inwardly over the camming portion.

2. A nut assembly as defined by claim l in which the flange of the nut member is provided with upstanding projections and the circumferential weakened area of the body portion of the sl-eeve is formed with openingsV for interlocking connection with said upstanding projections to prevent relative rotation of the par-ts when in anchored assembly.

3. A nut assembly as dened in claim 1 in which the circumferential weakened area of -th-e body portion `of the sleeve above the pronged end is formed with a circumferential series of cutout portions to be displaced inwardly beyond the nut camming surface to overl-ie the nut base ange when the parts are in anchored assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 477,118 Hieronymus June 14, 1892 1,111,660 Malaby Sept. 22, 1914 1,224,720 Di Salvo May 1, 1917 1,803,318 Pleister June 2, 1931 1,873,894 Kimbell Aug. 23, 1932 2,031,325 Meyer Feb. 18, 1936 2,156,338 Heyner et al May 2, 1939 2,172,350 I-Ieyner et al Sept. 12, 1939 2,252,316* Gelpcke Aug. 12, 1941 2,277,956 Coffman Mar. 31, 1942 2,341,598 Crowley Feb. 15, 1944 2,358,783 Best Sept. 26, 1944 2,406,536 Gelpcke Aug. 27, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 576,813 Great Britain Apr. 18, 1946 

